Almond & Peach Crusted Pork Chops

This recipe has inspired me to be on the lookout for more pork chop recipes, not a meat I've used very much...

ALMOND & PEACH CRUSTED PORK CHOPS

recipe found at Cooking with Jamie (go visit her!)

1 egg
2 tablespoons peach preserves (I used sugar-free)
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 boneless pork loin chops
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Beat egg and preserves in shallow dish with fork, breaking apart any large pieces of peach.

Mix Bisquick, almonds, cornmeal, and salt in another dish.

Dip pork chops in preserve mixture, then coat with Bisquick mixture.

Heat oil in large non stick skillet over medium heat. Cook pork chops about 7 minutes per side, or until crust is golden and pork is cooked through.

Heat extra preserves in microwave and drizzle on top.

And here's to trying to get more vegetables into my life! This cabbage was really, really good for being so simple.

SAUTEED CABBAGE
inspired by recipe at My Tasty Treasures

pre-shredded cole slaw mix (about 3/4 of the bag)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and begins to brown. Season, to taste, and serve warm.

Smoky White Bean Stew

Another item that will freeze well...

Eat some the day you make it and freeze the rest.

SMOKY WHITE BEAN STEW

1 tablespoon oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 pound smoked sausage, diced
2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 cups water
4 cups coarsely shredded cabbage or pre-shredded coleslaw mix with carrots
2 (15 ounce) cans Great Northern beans (don’t drain)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until onions are tender. Stir in sausage; cook until lightly browned. Add chicken broth, water, cabbage, beans, garlic and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.

Yield: 6 servings

Note: I used pre-shredded cole slaw mix with carrots. I like the extra color of the carrots and purple cabbage

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Hoisin Chicken Salad

With local temperatures in the 90's this week, I thought it would be nice to share a recipe that doesn't require the stove or oven.

Try this when you have some leftover grilled chicken or buy pre-cooked chicken for convenience (and to avoid the stove or oven).

Find the Hoisin sauce in the Asian section of any grocery store. For those who haven't had Hoisin before, I wish I could describe the taste. It's a little like sweet, thick, sticky soy sauce??!! It's tasty!

HOISIN CHICKEN SALAD

1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 cup packaged coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons bottled Hoisin sauce
few dashes of hot sauce or dash of crushed red pepper (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. (How easy is that?)

In the original recipe, the salad was to be served cold. I like to microwave the mixture for 2 or 3 minutes and fill large flour tortillas for Hoisin Chicken Wraps (reminds me of Moo Shu chicken, also known as Chinese burritos). Spread a little extra Hoisin sauce on the tortillas first. This amount of chicken salad can fill 2 - 4 tortillas depending how you stuff them. The one in the picture was one of four lunch-size wraps.

Enjoy!

Product of the Day

Sometimes I just have to share a good product find.

I'm making coleslaw for the Hood family cookout this weekend. I like to use Concord Foods coleslaw mix. I use less mayonaisse than the package calls for and I also add a splash of apple cider vinegar, sweet pickle relish and celery seeds. And, of course, I don't shred the cabbage myself, I buy the pre-shredded bags. I love convenience items.

I bought this at WalMart, but I know they have it at Publix, too.

Update 6/20/09: The in-laws made potato salad for the cookout. They used this same coleslaw mix in it. How do I say this politely? Uh.... I don't recommend it for that purpose.